Vacuum fuel-feeding system for gasolene-engines.



H. C. SUCKERT.

VACUUM FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM FOR GASOLENE ENGINES.

APPUCAUON FJLED AUG.2?. I9I5.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918. V

M/VEA/TOI? a,

A TTORIVE Y5.

PNOTD-LETHO by SACKETT 5 \VILHELMS COiP N Y which the HAROLD C. SUCKEBT,OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VACUUM FUEL-FEEDING? SYSTEM FOR GASOLENE-ENGINES.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 27, 1915. Serial 180.. 47,595.

To all whom it may concern: 1 Be it known that I, HAROLD C. SUeknR'r, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough ofManhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Vacuum Fuel-Feeding S stems forGasolene-Engines, of which te following is a specification.

In the installation of gasolene engines it has heretoforebeen the almostuniversal practice to place the gasolene or fuel tank above thecarbureter in order to secure a gravity feed of the fuel from the tankto the carbureter. In the fewinstances in which the fuel tank' has beenplaced below the carbureter some form of pump has been used to maintainan air pressure in the gasolene tank in order to force the gasolene upto the carbureten. In other cases a vacuum pump has been used to drawthe gasolene from the fuel tank to a point higher than the carbureterand to then feed the gasolene by gravity to the carbureter. Thisinvention relates to'this lattertype of fuel feeding means.

It is the main object of this invention to simplify the vacuum apparatusby means of gasolene is drawn from the tank and delivered into the smallgravity tank from which it is fed to the carbureter.

Another ob'ect of the invention is to dispense with all float-operateddevices and to provide an apparatus which will be very simple inconstruction and positive and reliable in o eration.

Other 0 jects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings, view of my improved fuel feeding system ap lied to 'agasoleneengine;

ig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view of the vacuum pump andgravity feeding tank, showing the parts in the osition which they occupywhen asolene is being drawn from the storage tan .into the pumpingchamber'; and

ig. 3 a similar view showing the arts in the position which they occupyw en the asolene is being delivered from the pumpmg chamber into thegravity feed tank, t e pum ing chamber being cut off from communicationwith the suction apparatus.

Referring to the various parts by numerale, 1 designates the engine, 2the manifold Figure 1 is an outline through which the gas from thecarbureter is conducted to the engine intake; 3 the carbureter and 4 thefuel' tank. The gravity feed tank 5 is located in any convenient po-'sition above the carbureter, preferably under the hood ofthe engine asindicated in Fig.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

1. The lower end of this gravity feed tank is connected by a pipe 6 tothe carbureten and through this pipe fuel is fed by gravity. The fueltank 4 is connected to the pumping apparatusthrough a ipe 7 and saidapparatus is connected to the manifold of the engine through a pipe 8.

Secured to the top of the tank 5 is a rigid I cap or head 9. This headis formed with a central downwardly tapered valve chamber 10 whosedownwardly inclined wall forms a valve seat. Closing the valve chamberis I a top plate 11. Hi y secured centrally to this top plate anextending downwardly through t e valve chamber 10 and into the tank 5 isa rigid guide and supporting rod 12, a securing and lock nut 13 be ngscrewed on the upper end thereof and bearing against the to plate.Within the feed tank, and near t e upper end thereof is a pumpingchamber 14. Closing the upper end of this chamber is a flexiblediaphragm 15, the inner annular edge of said diaphragm being connectedto a ependin annular flange 16 formed on the head 9 within the tank 5.The outer edge of the diaphragm is rigidly secured to the upper end ofthe pumping chamber 14. The diaphragm 15 is sufiiciently large to permitthe pumping chamber to have the desired reciprocal movement, as will behereinafter described. The lower end of the valve chamber 10 is incommunication with the inberior of the pumping chamber 14, as shownclearly in Fig. 2. On

the-lower end of the supporting rod 12 is a collar 17. The lower end'ofthis collar forms a valve seat 18. This collar is formed with a dependintubular extension 19 apertured at 20. In t e bottom of the pumpingchamber is secured a valve 21 sald valve sliding on the extension 19 asthe pumping chamber is reciprocated. When the pumping chamber is in itsupper position, as shown in Fig. 2, valve 21 is seated against seat 18and there is no communication between the apertures 20 and the interiorof the pumping chamber. When the pumping chamber is in its lowermostposition, as shown in Fig. 3, the apertures 20 are in communication withthe pumping chamber thereby connecting said chamber with the interior ofthe feed tank, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

Sliding on the supportin rod 12 near its upper end is a sleeve 22. issleeve is rigidly connected by tubular horizontal arms 23 with the outerwall of the pumping chamber so that said sleeve moves up and down withsaid chamber. In each arm is arranged a spring 24, each of said springsserving to ress a catch ball 25 into recesses 26 fOIIIlBfl lIl thesupporting rod. .There are two sets of recesses 26, one above the other,said recesses ,limiting the reciprocal movement of the pumping'chamber.Between the collar 17 and the lower end of the sleeve 22 is a coilspring 27, said spring serving to holdihe pumpingl chamber in its upperposition whensaid c a'mber is empty and until. it has received apredetermined quantity of gasolene.

In the valve chamber 10 is arranged a downwardly tapered valve 28, saidvalve being adapted to seat on the downwardly inclined wall of the valvechamber. This valve is carried by a depending tubular extension 29 whichis adapted to slide on the central supporting rod 12; the lower end ofsaid tu ular extension being in position to be engaged by the-upper endof the sleeve 22 when the pumping chamber is at, or near the end of itsupward movement. The fuel pipe 7 is connected to the valve chamberthrough the port 30; and the exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the valvechamber through a port 31. When thevalve28' is seated it closes ports 30and 31. Within the valve chamber 10 and surrounding the guide rod 12 isa light coil spring 32, which assists in seating the valve 28 when thepumping chamber is be sufficient suction through pipe 8 to exhaust airfrom the pumping chainb'er 14. p

This will result in a suctionthrough pipe 7 sufficient to lift thegasol'ene from the fuel tank 4 into the valve chamber 10. The gasolenewill flow from the valve chamber into the ,pumpin chamber and willaccumulate therein unti its weight releases the catches 25, whereuponthe tank will drop until the apertures 20 are in communication with thelowerend of said chamber.

of recesses 26 and holdthe pumping chamber in its lower position untilthe accumulated At the same' time the catches 25 will engage the lowerset 20 into the tank 5. When the weight of gasolene has beensufiiciently reduced a spring 27 will force the pumping chamber upwardlyuntil the catches 25 engage the upper set of.

notches and the valve 21 has seated against valve seat 18, therebyclosing the outlet apertures 20. In this upward movement of the pumpingchamber the sleeve 22 engages the lower end of the extension 29 of valve28 and lifts said valve from its seat thereby restoring communicationbetween pipes 7 and 8 and the interior of the pumping chamber.

When the pumping chamber isin its lower position air will pass from thefeed tank into the pumping chamber through the apertures 20. The feedtank 5 is vented at" its upper end in a suitable manner.

Should gasolene accumulate in ihe feed -tank 5 to such an extent as toprevent the a means for limiting the amount of gasolene 1 which may beaccumulated in the feed tapk.

If the apertures 20 are sealed by gasol'ene in the feed tank air cannotpass to the in terior of the pumpin chamber and (201150 quently gasolenetherein cannot flow through said apertures to tank 5. It is also clearthat asolenc can flow into tank 5 from the pump.- ing chamber only whenthe apertures 20 are unsealed, so that the immersion of the lower partof the pumping-chamber in the gasolene accumulated in the tank will notneutralize. the weight of the gasolene in the pumpingchambersufliciently to allow the pumpingchamber to prematurely ascend.

The apertures 20 are so spaced from the valve seat 18 that the valve 28will be closed before the said apertures are opened. It manifest thatthese valves should be properly timed in order to revent air passing upinto the tank 14 whi e the exhaust port 31 is open. By locating theapertures QO a con- 7 siderable distance below the valve seat 18 thecatches 25 will be wholly released from their coacting depressions 26before the said apertures are opened. It is desirable to hold the entireweight of the gasolene in the tank 14L for the purpose of releasing thecatches and moving the tank to its lower position. Forthat reason it isdesirable that the apertures 20 be heldclosed until the catches 25 arewholly free from the notches 26.

.What I claim is:

' 1. A fuelfeeding apparatus comprising a fuel tank, a carbureter, agasolene engine,

gasolene has passed through the apertures a feeding tank above the levelof the carbureter, a pumping chamber formed with a. flexible diaphragmin one of its walls, means connecting the interior of said pumpingchamber with the intake side of the engine, means connecting the saidchamber with the fuel tank, means conneotingthe lower end of the feedtank with the carbureter, and means whereby the weight of apredetermined amount of gasolenc in the pumping chamber will flex saiddiaphragm and close communication with the fuel tank and the engine, andopen communication. between the pumping chamber and the feedtank.

2. The combination of a feed tank, a pumping chamber, a diaphragm in onewall of said pumping chamber, suction operated means for accumulatingfluid in said chamber, valve mechanism controllin communication betweenthe feed tank anf the pumping chamber and the suction operated means,means whereby the weight of a predetermined accumulation of fluid in thepumping chamber will close communication with the suction operated meansand open communication between the pumping chamber and the feed tank,and means operating after the discharge of fluid from the pumping cham-.

ber to restore communication between the pumping chamber and the suctionoperated means.

. 3. The combination of a feed tank, a vertically movable pumpingchamber therein, a flexible diaphragm vide with a fluid inlet port andan,exhaust port leading from its top, iylrieldable means for holding thepumpin c' amber in communication with the flui inlet and the exhaustoutlet whereby the weight of the accumulated fluid in the pumpingchamber will flex the diaphragm and depress said chamber and closecommunication between said chamber and the exhaust outlet and opencommunication betweenthe said chamber and the feed tank, said yieldablemeans embodying devices for raising the pumping chamber after thedischarge of fluid to thereby restore communication between said chamberand the exhaust outlet.

4. In an apparatus of the class set forth, the combination of a feedtank having a closure head provided with an inlet port and an exhaustport and a passage leading from said ports to the interior of the feedtank, a valve controlling said passage and said ports,

forming the top of said pum in chamber, said chamber'being pro avertically-movable pumping chamber located within the feed tank and adated to open said valve when the pumping chamber is at its highest point,the upper end of said pumping chamber being closed b a flexiblediaphragm connecting the chamber to said head, means whereby the weightof the accumulated fluid in the pumping chamber will depresssaid chamberand permit said valve to close and also to open communication betweenthe pumping chamber and the feed tank, and means for raising the pumpingchamber to open said valve after the discharge of fluid from the pumpingchamber into the feed tank.

5. the combination of a feed tank, a vertically movable pum ing chambertherein, a flexible diaphragm filming the top. of said pumping chamber,said chamber .being provided near its top with a fluid inlet port and anexhaust port, a valve controlling said ,ports, yieldable means forholding the pumpmg chamber in its upper position, means whereby thechamber in itsupper position will hold the said valve open, meansopening communication between the pumping chamber and the feed tank whenthe accumulated fluid' in the pumping chamber overcomes the yieldableholdmg means and depresses said chamber, and means for closing the saidvalve when the pumping chamber is depressed. I I

6. The'combination of a feed tank, a vertically movable pumping chambertherein a flexible diaphragm orming the top of said pum ing chamber,said chamber being provide near its top with a fluid inlet port and anexhaust port, a self-seating valve controlling said ports, yieldablemeans for holding the pumping chamber in its upper position, meanswhereby the chamber in its upper position will hold the said valve open,means opening communication between the pumping chamber and the feedtank when the accumulated fluid in the pumping chamber overcomes theyicldable holding means and depresses said chamber, and means forraising the pumping chamber after the discharge of fluid to open theself-seating valve and thereby restore communication between the pumpingchamber and the inlet and exhaust ports.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

HAROLD C. SUGKERT.

